St. Louis Rams’ rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald was named Pro Football Focus Defensive Rookie of the Year earlier today. The runner-ups included Oakland Raiders’ outside linebacker Khalil Mack (second place), San Francisco 49ers’ inside linebacker Chris Borland (third place), Baltimore Ravens’ inside linebacker C.J. Mosley (fourth place) and Minnesota Vikings’ outside linebacker Anthony Barr (fifth place).
For weeks, many experts speculated that the decision would be between Donald and Mack, but the award was given to Donald. The defensive tackle position generally does not produce breathtaking statistics, but Donald’s performance in the trenches earned him the nod. He recorded 37 tackles, nine sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass deflection. Those stats don’t include the times he pressured quarterbacks or when his presence benefitted other players on the Rams’ defense.
Some questioned if Donald would be able to compete in the NFL since he was labeled as “undersized.” Clearly that hasn’t affected his abilities while battling in the trenches. In fact, Donald was the Rams’ most consistent defensive linemen, especially in the early half of the season when “Sack City” was struggling.
Source: Pro-sports-reference.com, Profootballfocus.com
You can follow Johnny Gomez on Twitter @Johnny5not6. Be sure to follow Rams Talk on Twitter @TalkRams.
